Mother braves long journey to send son to campus
ALL mothers will do their best for their children.
Jumiati Masud, 53, proved that it was not mere lip service when she ferried her eldest child on a 50km journey across the Penang Bridge by motorcycle to begin his varsity life in the rain – bags and all.
“I just want my son to study hard and be a useful member of society,” she said, adding that the motorcycle was the family’s only mode of transportation.
The mother of three boys lives in Simpang Empat, Sebarang Perai Selatan on the mainland of Penang, but thought nothing of travelling all the way to the island so that Muhammad Izzulhaq Mohamed Hasnan, 19, could have a conducive environment to study when he begins his tertiary education at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
The kuih seller was thankful that her son had been accepted to the Apex university because it is not far from home.
“He had also received an offer from a university in Kuala Lumpur but we had to turn it down because of our financial situation,” she shared.
The varsity had given new students the option of registering on-campus then returning home, placing their belongings in the residential colleges and leaving, or reg
istering and remaining in their hostels.
The dedicated mother, however, wanted her son to remain on campus.
On Oct 2, the Higher Education Ministry (MoHE) told higher education institutions to carry out online registration for the new semester as Covid-19 cases spiked.
All teaching and learning activities were also moved to online platforms to keep staff and students safe.
“I chose for my son to stay in the hostel. Let him study in a good and comfortable atmosphere because the Internet connection at home is not good and
we do not have Wifi.”
Muhammad Izzulhaq said he felt touched by his mother’s sacrifice and was determined to study hard and make her proud.
“I am also worried to see my mother return to Simpang Empat on her own but I have to deal with it as she has gone through so much for me,” said the Bachelor of Science with Education student who also got excellent matriculation results with a 3.96 CGPA from Penang Matriculation College.
He was among the new USM students who registered for the 2020/2021 academic yearvia drivethrough facility on Oct 3.